Prey
by themuse001
Summary: He saw her, wanted her, and took her. Mainly Basard/OC, but possibly Bane/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Pre-reckoning - 3 months**

The club lights were dim and washed over the occupants, casting shadows every which way. Groups of club-goers huddled around the dance floor, filled with moving bodies, hot and sweaty, groping any part that came too close. A group of girls huddled together away from the masses, sipping on their drinks and giggling amongst themselves as they scoped out the scene, wondering their next move, unaware of the various eyes upon them.

From up high in the rafters, Bane and a few of his men sat, watching the masses. Bane looked bored, glancing in disgust at the dance floor, ready to bring his reckoning already, knowing it would have to wait though. Basard was standing next to him, at full attention. Two other men flanked Bane on the opposite side, jeering and leering at the people below. "Look at her!" one of them shouted, wolf whistling at a girl in a tube top shaking her ass on the dance floor. Bane rolled his eyes in disgust and looking to his right where Basard stood silent, looking at over the crowd.

"Basard," his voice commanded attention. "Look to this people, what is your impression?" he questioned, honestly interested in the stoic man's opinion. He had grown to respect Basard in a way that he trusted him with his life. "Too much," he replied low, just so Bane could hear. "Too much of everything, opulence, desire, grandeur. It will be pleasant to watch them suffer," he finished. Bane knew that Basard was speaking truthfully, he was a firm believer in the cause. Yet, as Basard talked, his eyes never met Bane's. Basard's eyes were trained on the floor below them, at a group of girls huddled together, obviously enjoying themselves, but not joining in with the debauchery all around them.

Curiousity poked at the masked man, Basard was a silent man, but something in the crowd was holding his interest quite keenly, and Bane was bored enough to ask. He did, in many ways, consider this man his friend and comrade. Simple chit-chat was common between them when they were alone.

"Comrade," he said jovially, "what has the attention of my most trusted man?" Basard's eyes momentarily flicked towards Bane, a small smile crossing his face, and he nodded with his head back to the crowd. "Her," he said, and Bane's eyes found 'her' immediately. "She's quite lovely," Basard commented.

Bane would have to agree with Basard on this one. In the group of huddled girls, one stood out amongst the others, clearly the belle of the group. Her long flowing hair had a slight curl to it, was a golden brown color. Most interestingly, she wasn't dressed like the others, showing her assets in every way she could. She wore a light colored lacy dress, its lace collar coming half-way up her neck, with full lace sleeves, and ending in the middle of her thighs. It made her look long and elegant, a strange sight in such a place. Bane could understand Basard's seeming fascination with her. Bane himself was slightly fascinated with her. Not a man prone to such urges, but understanding Basard may not be as controlled as himself, he reflected that Basard never partook of female company, despite his long history with a woman he loved deeply, taken from him in a terrible way. It was that situation which brought Basard to Bane, which made Bane reform the torn man and bring him back to life with a purpose.

"Does she interest you, brother?" he laughed out. Basard's small flicked across his face, and he shook a small no gesture. "Brother, do not lie to me. We are not here on business, simply to look amongst the masses. I see no reason why you should not closely examine the creature who holds your attention so closely."

Basard looked almost surprised. Bane was giving him permission to essentially go hit on this woman. No, Basard would never take her home, would never entertain such a thought, but he stared back at the elegant creature and his interest heightened again. He turned towards Bane, nodded an acceptance, and took leave to examine her closer, for what purpose he didn't know. Bane chuckled and sat back to watch the show.

Basard was dressed like a common man, in black slacks and a dark blue long sleeved sweater. His hair was short cut, and his beard maintained and closely shaven. His blue eyes were one of his most striking features, as was his toned and athletic stature, a fact which caught many woman's attention as he traveled through the club. He felt like he was almost a predator, stalking his prey. He moved closer towards her, but far enough away that she wouldn't know anything was happening, that anyone was watching her.

He brushed the hands of adoring women off of him as he walked towards the side of the club, kindly declining invitations to dance or drink. He leaned against the wall, in the dark and watched her, his attention towards her could not be broken. He did feel like a predator, and the closer proximity to her began bringing out a more animalistic side of him. He knew Bane was watching with humor, knew Bane understood that although he was a trained killer, he was also just a man. And a mildly lonely man, one whose interests rarely peaked at a woman.

He watched her flip her hair gently, the pull on his insides growing as she bent down to grab her purse, her dress pulling up to reveal even more tanned skin, stopping just below her ass. He let out a small huff at her action, almost sounding like a quiet growl as his stance stiftened on the wall. He watched her closely as she stood back up and walked away from the group to sit at the bar, obviously waiting for to get another drink.

His legs moved without his permission. She was alone, unprotected, and his instincts took over. He stalked over towards her, and took a seat next to her. She didn't notice him at first, frustrated at the lack of attention the bartender had towards her.

She flipped her hair again, angry at the stupid man behind the bar. _Maybe if I had dressed like a slut with my tits hanging out, I would have been served faster_, Ellie thought frustrated. It was then that she noticed the man sitting next to her, looking at her curiously, his blue eyes piercing hers. She took him in for a millisecond, not wanting to seem too interested. But she was. She forced herself to look away, not engaging him in conversation. In her short assessment of him, he was gorgeous. Dark and handsome. His eyes made her feel slightly dizzy. His smirk made her almost smile.

"What can I get you?" she heard the man's accented voice ask her. And he's foreign? She squeezed her legs together tightly, feeling the vaguely familiar rush to her most private place at hearing his voice. She looked at him, dead on, not allowing him to see the effect he had on her. His arms were causally placed on the bar, his body tilting more towards her. She kept her body straight, only turning her head. "Are you serious?" she replied, unsure if she sounded snobby, or just curious. Her eyes never left his face as he digested her questions. He held his cards close, she couldn't see any emotion pass over him, no way to know what effect her words had on him.

"Yes, quite serious," he replied lowly to her, as he seemed to pull himself closer to her body. Without realizing her own actions, her body began to slightly turn towards him, her legs now facing his body._ Damn self-control_, she mentally slapped herself. She was now giving this unknown man her full attention, when she could have played it cooler.

"Alright then," she breathed, "a beer."

"Just a beer?" he said with a small smile. She nodded gently, and he looked towards the bartender, who immediately came over. The bartender was aware of Bane and his men's presence in the club and wouldn't do anything to upset the chill atmosphere at the moment.

"Two beers, please," he spoke to the bartender and in less than 3 seconds, two cold beers appeared on the bar before them. She noted mentally that no money was exchanged. _Maybe he had a tab_, she thought.

"Thank you," she said softly, as she reached for the beer and took a small sip to coat her now dry throat. He was making her slightly nervous, and Basard seemed to pick up on it. It excited him. His 'prey', for lack of a better word, was coming to the realization of his presence. He shifted closer towards her, her eyes becoming slightly wider, his legs suddenly surrounding her tightly closed and tanned ones. He was so close she could almost smell him. He leaned into her and spoke softly in her ear, "I don't think I have to tell you that your beauty is slightly breath-taking to me," he softly blew in her ear.

Shocks of electricity shot through her body, all ending in between her legs and she clenched them together tighter as she shivered. This man that she met minutes ago was having an effect on her that she hadn't felt in years. She laughed softly, pulling her head away from his in nervousness, and grabbed her beer from the table. The moisture on the glass dripped onto her leg.

She saw it all happen in slow motion, and felt it in slow motion, which was worse. Basard's eyes glanced down at the droplets on her legs, and reached out to brush them off. The second his hand made contact with her leg, she let out a soft sound, making Basard's eyes raise to hers, locking on them. Her eyes were golden, like her hair, lighter though. He was infatuated with her, finding his own self-control slipping.

Bane watched closer, his interest in this interaction was sharp. He had never seen Basard like this over anything, much less a woman.

Basard's hand dragged the moisture off her leg and then remained there. Ellie's body was receiving hot jolts of pleasure from its presence, becoming wetter by the moment at his most innocent touch. Without her permission, her legs clenched and then relaxed under his touch. Basard felt the muscles in her leg during this action, realizing that she was giving into him. A dark thought crossed his mind as he imagined himself throwing her against the bar and taking her from behind. The look must have shown in his eyes, as hers darkened and her breathing quickened.

No words had been spoken between the two in minutes, just touches and sounds. His hand gently worked its way up her leg, and she cursed herself as she couldn't control her leg gently giving way and opening slightly. Basard kept contact with her eyes while he did this, finally reaching the edge of her dress and playfully pulling on the end.

"Your dress is beautiful," he said gently, his voice laced with desire, a sound that made her mind so fuzzy that she felt like she took 6 shots of jack in a row.

"What's happening?" she whispered, her eyes reflecting genuine confusion at him and her responses to him.

He shrugged slightly as his hand moved underneath her dress and forced her legs to open more, giving him free and full access to her center. She took a sharp breath as his hand gently moved over her lack panties. All of this was shielded from the crowd around them by his body's closeness to hers, almost shielding her from the world. She moaned slightly, her eyesight becoming blurry.

He felt her wetness through her panties and growled softly. She heard the growl come from him and clenched her legs slightly, before his hand forced them apart again. He continued to stroke her with his fingertips, all thoughts of needing a beer gone from both their minds. He examined her face which was becoming flush with desire, her pink lips parting slightly, her eyes becoming hooded.

He had no idea why he was doing this to her, only that he knew he needed to touch her. He felt predatory in his actions while he played with her, toying with her body, watching the expressions on her face as they changed every moment. He was enraptured by her feel and looks. Her voice sounded like honey to him when she whispered again, "what's happening?"

His fingertips pressed roughly against her in response to her question, and she threw her head forward onto his shoulder and moaned in response. He wanted to rip her to pieces and fuck her until she couldn't walk. That was the only thought flowing through his mind. He looked up into the rafters at Bane, made eye contact with him, and received a nod from the masked man.

Basard's free hand grasped her shoulder, massaging it, and whispered in her ear, "where do you live?" Ellie knew she would never be able to resist him, feeling his fingers pressed hard against her sex, her body begging for more. "Just let me tell my frie..." she couldn't finish her sentence as Basard flicked his fingers over her covered clit.

"Take me to where you live," he commanded cooly, continuing to rub her spot. She nodded, her head still on his shoulder, her hair wrapped around his upper torso, smelling like vanilla, _a wonderful smell_, he thought. _The things he would do to her_.

She walked gently outside the club, leading the man who said his name was Basard to her one-bedroom apartment a few blocks up the street. Normally, she was scared to walk the streets without a group, but Basard made her feel strangly protected. He walked a few steps behind her, watching her ass sway as he followed her to the place he would fuck her until she couldn't move. He was in a trance, intoxicated by her, as she threw him a small smile from in front.

They entered a building and walked up the stairs to the third floor, where she began to fumble with her keys trying to open her door. She was so nervous. She had never met such an intoxicating man before, never had a one night stand, and had only had sex one time before with a friend, never to be repeated. As a 27 year old, she was sure she was in the minority in sexual experience. It wasn't that people hadn't tried, or that she had high expectations, but she knew that the next time she did it, she wanted to be swept away.

Then she was literally swept away by Basard and roughly pushed against the wall, his lips biting and sucking her neck. He roughly lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist and pressed himself into her spot, showing her that he was growing impatient.

"Better find those keys fast," he whispered darkly, "or your neighbors will get quite the show." She shivered violently at the thought of him doing those things to her, in pleasure, and quickly pushed him off her and opened the door.

She was about to flick the lights on, until Basard's hand stopped her and turned her around and took her fully by the mouth, his tongue pushing its way into her mouth, eliciting a loud moan of pleasure from her. His hands were on her, all around her it felt. He kicked the door closed and locked it, never losing contact with her body, and began pushing her towards the room he assumed was her bedroom. Once inside, he threw her on the bed and just looked at her.

_He had won his prey_, his animalistic side screamed. She watched pure, unadultered desire fill his eyes and face, even his posture changed to stand more upright. Her wetness grew by how alpha he seemed in that moment. He reached down towards her suddenly and pulled her panties down and off her long legs. "Take it off," he growled at her. She stood up obediently and reached behind her and unclasped her dress, it falling lifelessly to the floor. Then she slowly undid her bra and dropped it casually on the floor, and crooked her head at him, as if to say _'what are you going to do now_?'

The next few moments happened in a blur. She looked so delicious, standing there stark naked, her wild golden brown hair all around her. He snapped. He was on her, touching her everywhere, biting, licking, pulling, pressing. He pushed her on the bed, and made quick with taking his shirt off, hovering over her in the bed with only his pants on. Gently, her small hands placed themselves on his chest and started to trail down towards his belt. She felt a deep rumble in his chest as she did this. She made quick with his belt, and begged him to take his pants off by pulling at them in frustration.

His blue eyes twinkled in the darkness. "Is this what you truly want?" he asked in an uncharacteristically shaky voice, finding himself giving her one last chance to get as far away from him as possible before he claimed her, almost wanting her to take it. She took a moment, bit her bottom lip, and nodded her head. He quickly pulled his pants off, asking her briefly if she was on birth control, eliciting another nod.

He posed himself at her entrance, the tip of his dick feeling the moisture that had collected there. He loudly growled at her, her surprised eyes rolling back into her head in sheer pleasure as she felt him push into her fully, in one stroke.

_Oh my god,_ he could barely think. He couldn't remember the last time he had done this, and it had felt so good. Her insides wrapped around him, so hot it was almost burning him. He was becoming delirious with pleasure, and he knew this could be dangerous for her if he lost all control in this moment. But that decision wasn't up to him, as her small hands grabbed his low back and she raised her legs, bucking her hips up and pressing him into her more. He felt his brain snap, and he began to blindly fuck her with all of his strength, her cries of pleasure barely registering in his brain. All he could think was more, faster, deeper, _**mine**_. He pulled and pushed into her with such force that it bordered on pain, but it was quickly making her hotter than she had ever been. She never knew it could be like this. She felt a hot coil beginning to grow in her body, and felt Basard's long dick continue to hit that coil harder and faster than she thought possible.

In desperation at the unknown feeling, she grabbed his neck, her arms wrapping around it, pulling his face towards her, his lips immediately finding hers and plunging into her mouth with his tongue, biting and nipping her own. He moved his mouth to her neck, feeling her begin to tighten so hard around him that he knew she was only moments away. So was he, he could feel it growing and building in him. He needed this so badly. He licked and bite down on her neck hard as her body tightened so hard that he couldn't pull out, her body erupting around his dick. He held on, his teeth sunk into her neck, until she loosened on him. He began to thrust viciously into her, pulling out another orgasm from her, as well as his own. He spilled his hot seed into her, frozen by the intensity of the release. He shuddered, and released his hold on her neck. He laid on top of her as they both took in deep breaths to calm themselves.

Gently, he rolled off of her onto his back, and she quickly followed, tucking herself into his side. He was not used to cuddling, but he didn't seem to mind this touching. He stroked her hair, feeling her breathing relax more and more, until he knew she was sound asleep. He softly removed himself from her arms and body, and began to dress.

He silently exited the apartment building, memorizing the floor, and the address. This would not be the last time he saw his prey.


	2. Chapter 2

Ellie blinked a few times, letting the light of the late morning constrict her pupils. Did she really do what she thought she just did? she shocked herself. She indeed just had a one night stand with a man she barely knew, and who had left her alone after it was done. She couldn't help the next feeling that washed over her: cheap. Sure, she had wanted him, was educated enough to know the possible consequences, but that knowledge never really stops the burn when the lesser of the desirable consequences occurs. Great, she thought, ridiculing herself. She stood up swiftly from the rumpled bed and moved into the bathroom. "Whoreface," she whispered to herself, half joking, half quite serious. Her golden brown hair was a mess of tangles, her neck held several light bite marks, and over all, she just looked ravaged. Which is what she was. She ached badly all over. He hadn't been gentle with her, not once. And she had begged for more. Sick, she thought, that a man could pull such a side out of her. Normally, she was so much more collected and controlled in her actions.

She turned on the shower, let it warm up, and jumped in, humming, "blame it on the alcohol," the whole time she viciously scrubbed the last night off of her. When she was done, she wrapped a large towel around her and got busy. Surely, her friends would want to meet up, so she readied herself for the day, an ardous task, mostly because of the voluminous amount of hair she had. But dear god, she loved her hair.

Right as rain, she thought, when she looked down at her phone. Several missed calls, and texts, the last group text commanding her presence at a local coffee shop in... 30 minutes. Now she had to rush. She quickly threw her clothes on and ran out the door, crushing herself and the man named Basard for leaving it unlocked after he had escaped.

She walked to the local coffee shop and immediately heard her friends cat-calling her from its outdoor patio. She smiled, almost embarrassed and took a seat.

"SOOOOOOOO," drawled Christina, one of her closest friends, "tell us ALL about your night, you little slut," she poked jokingly at Ellie.

Ellie sighed deeply, and started to dish the PG details of the night.

Bane chuckled as Basard walked into the headquarters. "Have a nice night, my brother?" he humored loudly. Basard smirked and poured himself a cup of coffee. He didn't share any details with Bane, but Bane could tell he had enjoyed his night. "Good, brother, you will need that memory in the coming months, I am sure," he hissed metallically through his mask.

Ellie sat quietly in her chair, greeting Mr. Fox as he arrived in the office. "Ellie," he greeted her warmly, and walked past her desk into his office. She had obtained the position of Mr. Fox's secretary after a fortunate run in with Bruce Wayne at a social event on evening months ago. He had apparently taken such a liking to her, she had received a phone call from Wayne Enterprise's the next day asking if she was interested in a job. The rest, shall we say, is history. She liked her job very much, feeling the trust radiate towards her. She knew of all the R&D department, was a key role in keeping it off the books and running around Mr. Fox's reign.

Half way through the day, Mr. Fox approached her. "Ellie, Mr. Wayne wants to thank you for your services. He asks that you and your friends enjoy a Gotham football game at his expense. These are a few tickets and access to a private box for the game. He hopes you enjoy yourself," Mr. Fox smiled fondly at her.

Ellie couldn't suppress her grin. "How kind!" she exclaimed and excitedly took the tickets. "Thank you and Mr. Wayne for these, I can assure you the good time won't go to waste."

The tickets were for a game in about a months' time, enough to gather and rally her friends for a fantastic night.

The rest of the day passed in normalcy, Ellie deciding to stay later and finish her duties as Mr. Fox retired for the night. "Be safe, Ellie, the city seems to be becoming a bit more restless these days," he warned in a fatherly tone.

She nodded her head and promised to take a cab home instead of walking tonight. She continued working until the nighttime, when her phone buzzed with a text from her friend telling her to turn on the news.

Out of curiousity, she did, and saw the headline was something concerning the stock exchange, right down the street. Then the news flashed to the main storyline, the return of the Batman. She watched with increased nerves, wondering what was happening. Gotham had been silent from crime and excitement for years and here now, it was all coming down to this. A group of vandals on bikes, a man dressed up as a Bat and lauded as a murderer chasing after them. He didn't seem to be Gotham's most wanted at that moment, but the police sure thought he was.

She decided now was the best time to leave the office and get home fast and lock the doors. Mr. Fox was right, the city was becoming different now. She couldn't understand why or how, but she knew something was different. She walked quietly downstairs and out onto the city streets. Suddenly, she didn't feel alone. She felt like she was being watched, and it made her unbelievably nervous as she hailed a cab and hurriedly jumped in.


	3. Chapter 3

**One month later**

"Come on, Christina, the game is going to start soon!" Ellie yelled, urging her friend to get ready faster. All of the girls were ready except for damned Christina. There were 6 of them in total, all about to go enjoy the football game in the luxury of Bruce Wayne's personal box.

"Ready!" screamed Christina and the girls were out the door, giggling, howling, laughing as they piled into a limo taking them to the game. "Remind me to send Bruce a sexy thank you card for this," one of the girls' howled as they popped open a bottle of champagne.

The pre-gaming was in full force as the limo pulled up the arena. The girls were quickly ushered up to the private boxes, clearly meant only for the rich and famous. It was breath-taking. The view, the amenities. The girls were in seventh heaven.

Then the little boy began to sing the national anthem. What a beautiful voice he had, thought Ellie. Tonight was going to be perfect, she thought gently.

Kick off started, and Gotham got the ball and ran. The field began to collapse as he ran too. Ellie was the only one to watch this happen in horror, not understanding what was happening. "Hey," she said softly at first, trying to get everyone's attention. "HEY!" she screamed louder, just as an explosion to their left knocked them all to the ground in a hoard of dust, smoke, and fire.

Silence filled in the room. Ellie rolled her head, pain enveloping her body as she released the extent of her wounds. She had been knocked in the head by something and her leg was bleeding. She looked around, desperately trying to find the other girls, screaming at what she found. Julie was staring up at her, her lifeless eyes losing color. Rebecca and Anne were no where to be found. And Christina was crying gently, her arm obviously broken. Ellie's head briefly registered the voice over the loud speakers, a metallic voice, but she just scrambled over to Christina, the last seeming survivor, soothing her and calming her down. Both the girls got up and looked out of the broken glass onto the field, the big screen showing the face of a masked man, who quickly bent over and almost ripped another man's neck off. Screams flooded every inch of the arena.

"We have to get out of here," Ellie whispered quietly, her body beginning to move towards the exit, pulling Christina with her. They walked slowly down the steps to the main areas, only to be swarming by others scrambling to get out of the football arena. Men with guns were running all around them, screams, and gunfire sounding. Ellie pulled Christina closer and the two huddled against the wall, making slow progress as they continued to be hit and bumped, eliciting howls of pain from Christina. "Here," Ellie whispered, as she found a door knob that would open and pushed them through it.

They were in the back passage ways, meant only for service patrols. They walked down the hall quietly, not sure where they were going to next. Ellie heard footsteps in the distance, and quickly pulled them to the side of the wall in the corner, hiding themselves as the men with guns walked by, one oddly familiar looking to her. She sucked her breath in quietly as the man she thought she recognized leaned his head towards her direction, but he continued walked away. She released her breath once they were gone and continued walking.

"HEY!" shouted a male voice. "RUN," Ellie whispered, pushing Christina one way towards a door that said EXIT as Ellie stood her ground, and debated her options. Christina was too weak to fight, and Ellie was no fighter, but she could run much faster and create a diversion. So she did. She took off as fast as she could in the opposite direction, seeing more men in front of her approaching, hearing footsteps behind her closing in. She ran to the nearest door, and ran in, pushing herself against the door to keep everyone out. It was a small, dimly lit room where they keep humming machinery and extra knick knacks. The pushing on the door became rougher, and no matter how hard she dug her heels in, she couldn't keep them out, as a sudden burst from the door knocked her across the room onto her knees. She quickly scrambled turning towards them, still pushing away from the advancing men until her back hit the wall. Shit, she thought. Out of options now.

"Well, well, well," sneered one of the armed men, "it appears we have a little bird in our midst men. What's wrong, honey? You don't need to be scared of us." Their body language told her otherwise. The four men approached her, the one speaking in the lead, his hair scraggly and his eyes leering at her. She wasn't dressed in more than a fall dress, the hem coming below her knees, her damned heels making it impossible for her to outrun them. But Christina got out safe.

"What should we do to her boys? Seems like a little fun isn't out of the question," the main one said with finality as he began to approach her.

"Fun," retorted a metallic voice. Her was so preoccupied with these men that she hadn't heard the heavy footsteps of the one man to fear the most. The others froze their actions. "Fun, I am sure, would be terribly one-sided in this interaction, would you not agree," hissed the masked man as he approached the scene before him. His eyes went to the main man, and then drifted towards Ellie. Recognition drifted over him as he recognized the girl who convorted with Basard. Ahhh, he thought, how very interesting. "Your fun will be short lived, I am afraid," he hissed again, his eyes never leaving Ellie has his large hand shot out and cracked the man's neck in a second, a heavy thud falling to the ground, making Ellie scream in panic.

"No child, do not scream," he spoke to her in his metallic voice as he approached her and offered her the same hand he had just used to kill one of his own men. She shook, not wanting to accept it, but the look in his eyes told her there would be consequences if she disobeyed him. She hesitantly placed her own small hand in his large warm one and he gently lifted her up. More men appeared at the doorway, one pushing his way into the front of the group. His eyes landed on hers, and she recognized him immediately. Her lips didn't dare speak his name, but she remembered their night together like it only just happened.

Bane chuckled. "A reunion," he jovially shouted, sending shock waves down her spine as she gently pulled her hand from his, cowering amongst the men. Bane turned to look at Ellie fully. "Pure beauty," he said softly. "I do believe you know us, dear one, at least one of us," he smirked at her, clearly knowing about her time with Basard.

Basard simply stared at her, his expressionless eyes giving nothing away. But inside, he was rumbling in anger. Why was she here? He had been watching her casually for months, making sure she was never to close to danger, and yet here she was, in the middle of it, about to be taken in unspeakable ways by his own men. His internal growl came out as a huff as he stood to move closer to her. She backed away instantly, fear enveloping her eyes, making them almost golden in the dim light.

"Brother, it is your paramour!" shouted Bane. Basard simply continued to stare at her, his expression beginning to gain malice. And it was directed at her. She began to shake more violently. "Enough," Bane continued. "Escort her home, tuck her in, and come back to me. We have much to discuss."

And with that, all the men except Basard left the room, Bane glancing at her one last time before he left.


	4. Chapter 4

So Barsad escorted Ellie home, walking in front of her, knowing she remained present behind him. The beginning of the reckoning was happening around them as people scurried down the sidewalks, anxiously looking around. Ellie herself was anxiously looking around. They got to her building and finally to her apartment, where she struggled with the keys to her door, a memory of their time before when he had grabbed her in a sexual manner moving through her mind. She heard an exasperated sigh and felt him push her out of the way as he grabbed the keys roughly from her hands, opened the door, and shoved her in, slamming the door behind him.

Ellie whirled around, recovering from being thrown into the apartment, staggering slightly, staring at him. He was absolutely glowering at her, obviously boiling in anger and barely clinging to self-control. In that moment, she was truly terrified of him. He began to advance on her, causing her to back up quickly until her back hit the wall, looking around for an escape from Barsad. He continued his advance until he stood directly in front of her, his eyes seething in anger. She had been too close, his mind, red with anger, thought. Much, much too close. He saw how scared she was, and took an unsteady breath in an effort to control himself.

"What were you doing there?" he growled at her. "I.. I had tickets.. for free. So we just went, I didn't know.." she was cut off by Barsad's hands being slammed on the wall next to her head, shrieking in terror, turning her head to avoid his blazing eyes and sneer.

"You are never to do that again. Do you understand me? This city is going to be ripped apart. You must stay in this apartment," he spat at her, almost anticipating her confusion in the next moment. "You cannot be harmed if you stay here."

Ellie was thoroughly confused. She turned her head slightly to look at him. His gaze had softened a little bit. He had seemed sincere with his last comment. But why, she thought, why does he care at all what happens to me. I'm no one.

He continued, "Do not leave this apartment unless I tell you that you can. I will make sure you have what you need to live." He didn't understand himself why he was saying these things to her. Sure, he had trailed her for the past couple weeks, memorizing where she went and how she lived. But that was just a game to preoccupy his time. He certainly didn't care about her beyond physical pleasure. She was nothing to him. But still, he felt insistent that she remain indoors, knowing she would be targeted immediately and abused if she went outside. He would have to figure out how to guard her... he shook his head slightly in utter confusion.

"Why do you care?" she whispered at him, seeing his inner battle. "I don't," he sneered back, "but you will do as I say, or there will be consequences."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Oh ye of little faith...**

* * *

Ellie woke with a start, shooting out of bed, breathing heavily and looking around wildly. Seeing nothing, she tried to calm her breathing. _It was all a bad dream_, she thought, reassuring herself. Yes, that's all it was. He wasn't in here yesterday, it all didn't happen. She pulled herself out of bed and walked to the kitchen to make some coffee. After she had a full cup, she walked to the living room, noting to herself that she had sleep until almost noon. Thank god she didn't work today. She cozied up on her couch and pulled her throw over her, resting the cup in her lap and turning on the tv to catch up on news. What she say made her shake. There he was, standing on top of what looked like a tank, proclaiming the truth about Harvey Dent and Batman and the freedom of the prisoners in Blackgate. And there **HE** was, standing nearby in the background, looking exactly how he looked yesterday. Reality moved in fast, making her dizzy. _It was NOT a dream. All of it happened. He was here yesterday, in her apartment, threatening her_. And him, the masked man, she saw him too. The realization made her spill her coffee all over her lap.

"Damn it!" she shouted, jumping up from the hotness and running to her room to change.

The day passed slowly, Barsad's threats lingering in the air. Ellie stared out the window. _ It all looked calm enough_, she pondered. Maybe they hadn't come to this part of town. She wasn't exactly in the richest part of town, but she certainly wasn't in the poorest part either. She paced, tried to read, tried to watch tv, anything to occupy her time. Soon, the sun had set and her stomach began growling. She opened up the fridge and the cabinets, finding nothing. She was so hungry, _I need to eat_, she thought. _ It can't be that bad out there, I'll just go to the Chinese restaurant down the block and get take out_. It's just down the block, anyways. She threw on a sweater over her skinny jeans and pulled on her boots and began to walk down to the outside world. _No one is around_, she thought, _he couldn't be watching me_, as she walked out of the lobby and onto the street, missing the figure in the back.

She began the walk down the block slowly, realizing everything looked ok here. She paused at the alleyway abutting her apartment complex, apprehensive about even crossing it despite her prior assessments. She heard shuffling of feet moving towards her. _Whoever it is hasn't seen me yet, I can just turn around and run back, it'll be ok_, she began to panic. Just as she turned her heels, she heard a wolf-whistle. She turned around slowly and saw four men in orange with rifles staring at her in a very obvious manner. She turned again and moved to run before being grabbed roughly by the waist.

"Not so fast, cutie, we just want to talk," said the man who had grabbed her, his voice leering at her, his smell repulsing her. Ellie struggled, kicking and shouting as the man pulled her deeper into the alley until they all were in the dark. The man let go of her waist and threw her back into the wall. Her head cracked against it, and her vision began to blur. She managed to blink it away to see a man advance on her. She quickly kicked him in the knee, bringing him down, the man crying out. Another man moved in on her too quickly for her to fight, gripping her by the throat tightly, her hands quickly moved to grab his desperate to stop the squeezing.

"Now, now, play nice and you won't be hurt.. too badly," he snarled at her, striking her in the face, blinding her in pain. She looked up briefly and down the alley she heard movement and spotted three figures moving briskly towards the group, she thought to join them. She began to cry, fumbling with his grip on her neck, before he hit her again and let her drop to the ground. She was too dizzy at that point to move and the coppery taste of blood filled her mouth. She lost her breath as the man brutally kicked her in the stomach, Ellie instinctively curling into a ball in pain. He was down on his knees in seconds, grasping her throat and forcing her to look straight up at him. He's squeezing hard, she thought, her vision turning black. _Please_, she thought, and drifted into blackness before she vaguely felt his hand roughly ripped away and gunshots ringing out.

* * *

He sat with his elbows on his knees, bent down, just staring at her, taking in her condition. When his guard called him to tell him she had left the building, he had grabbed two men and began to move in her direction. He was angry, scratch that, livid. _How dare she disobey me_, he thought, and then he heard commotion down a dark alley. He pointed to his men to move in that direction, the noise getting louder the closer they got, his speed picking up with every step. As soon as they were close enough, he recognized her, and he saw red. With a flick of his hand, the two other men opened fire on the men standing up and Barsad advanced with speed on the man practically strangling Ellie. He ripped the man off of her. What followed was just pure savagery, he thought. He made the man suffer slowly, looking down frequently on Ellie, fueling his anger towards the man. Only a few times in his entire life had he ever been that angry, enough to commit such acts.

He remembered how damaged she looked when he knelt down next to her, assessing whether he could move her. When he was sure, he gently scooped her up, causing her to whimper in pain softly. His blood boiled at the thought that this had happened to her. He had fucking warned her, and look what happened. He made a decision in that moment, and instead of turning to take her back to her apt, he turned towards the sewer, ordering the men to go to her apartment and pack her essentials. He was determined to keep her safe, why he didn't know, if he had to tie her down to a sewer post and hand feed her.

She moved in the bed, groaning, breaking Barsad out of his reverie. He was still pissed, but looking at her, with her bandaged ribs, split lip, and bruises on her neck, he softened. She must be in pain, and he hadn't wanted that for her. Sure, he'd only been with her once, but he was drawn to her. He felt like he needed to protect her, he had realized that night how open and trusting she was. _She would have never survived this had I not taken her_, he justified. He continued to stare at her, as her eyelids began to flutter, evidence she was waking up. Barsad stood up and moved over to the bed.

Ellie opened her eyes slowly, greatful for the darkness. She noticed the bed didn't feel the same and her eyes didn't recognize the ceiling. She began to scan the room, moving her body to the side, only to be greeted with mind-bending pain, causing her to moan and curl into herself.

"I told you to stay in your apartment," came a voice from far away. Her mind recognized the voice, but was too delirious in pain to put it to a face. She glanced around and her eyes focused on him.

"I knew this would happen if you left, why did you leave?" came the voice again.

"I was hungry," she gritted out through the pain. Suddenly, something grabbed her hand and placed two pills in it. "Put them in your mouth," the voice commanded. She followed the instruction and felt a glass placed on her lips and water flowing down her throat. She drank as much as he gave her.

She breathed shallow, the deep breathing causing pain. She focused on him again. "Barsad," she huffed out softly, "you saved me?"

Her question was only answered by sshing and a hand coming to her forehead to feel her temperature. "I took you from the men, I brought you here, where I stay. This is also where you will stay from now on. It's the only way I can insure your safety, since you have a way of...disobeying.. me."

She shook her head softly, surprising Barsad. She didn't want to be a captive, but she didn't want to live through another attack like that. If he was promising safety, she would take it without argument.

This acceptance, in such a simple gesture, tugged at something in him. He half-smiled at her even though her eyes were closed. Good girl, he thought.

* * *

She slept for days with the aid of the medication that Barsad gave her. When she finally woke, she woke to an empty room. She moved slowly, testing to see if the pain would break her again. It didn't, it was only a dull ache. Slowly, she sat up, gritting her teeth. When she was finally up, she examined the room, now bathed in a dim light. It was a medium sized room, with a bed, a desk, and a small couch. There was a door, possibly a bathroom, and another, maybe a closet, she assessed. She was alone, and another closed door on the other side of the room screamed it was the door to the hallway. Yet, she had no desire to go through it. He told her that she was safe here. She found herself wanting to stay here. She noticed she had several blankets on her and they were quite comfortable. She stretched her legs a little. She moved herself and placed her feet on the ground, wobbling as she stood up and grabbing the chair next to the desk for support. Once she was steady, she moved to the doors on the side of the room. The closest one was in fact a closet. She noticed many of her clothes were hanging up inside, including a robe. She pulled it off the hanger and onto herself. She noticed for the first time that she was dressed in a big black tshirt, coming just above the half-way point on her thigh. She bundled up in the thin robe and moved to the next door. She was correct again, there was a bathroom, with a shower too. She went in and closed the door, looking at herself in the mirror. Her hair was limp from several days of sleep, her eyes big with black shadows underneath them. She saw the bruises on her throat, making her shudder. She lifted up the black shirt and only found bruising, no bandages. She decided to shower, turning the water on and seeing her bathing products in there. She smiled a little, got in and took a scorching shower, rubbing off the bad memories and filth.

When she left the bathroom, she saw Barsad sitting on the edge of the bed staring at her. She froze, unsure of what to do. His eyes appraised her, noticed her damp hair and nodded in approval.

"Sorry, I just needed to shower, I hope that's alright," she spoke softly to him. He nodded. He rose and began to speak.

"Are you finding everything to your liking?" he asked, his voice holding no emotion. He's so good at that, she thought. Hiding emotion. Gifted at it even.

"Yes," she replied.

"Good. You'll get three meals a day brought here until you learn the layout. You'll have guards when you choose to walk around. You must never leave the area though. You are not to go up to the surface for any reason. I will be gone most of the day, but I will come back every night unless I have something to attend to. I hope you are distressed by sharing a bed with me, but we must out of necessity." Ellie nodded her understanding.

Barsad then looked at her intensely and walked up to her, Ellie resisting the urge to back away from him. He stood inches from her and looked at her, examining her. He's still gorgeous, she thought, staring back at him. His eyes pierce through me. His gaze was soft until it reached her throat, then they blazed with an emotion, fury. He looked back into her eyes with that look and she shivered, dropping his gaze immediately. He gripped her chin to force her to look at him.

"I never want to have to rescue you again," he growled at her, her shaking her head in agreement, hoping to ease his anger. And slowly the anger left his eyes the longer he looked at her.


	6. Chapter 6

She was adjusting quite well, he noticed. It didn't take her long to learn where everything was, and she was quite independent, seeking things out when she needed them and rarely relying on him for anything.

The nights were the hardest. Sharing a bed with her was necessary due to the conditions they lived in, but he hadn't anticipated it being difficult. Yet, as it turned out, it was quite difficult. He found himself wanting to touch her. A lot. But he didn't, out of respect. She also had not initiated any contact, keeping herself pinned down to the other side of the bed, but just barely within his reach. He had caught himself a few times just before he would try to brush her hair back from her face or run his hand down her back. Sometimes, he would stay awake just to watch her sleep. She slept without a care in the world, her complete trust in him evident.

He was amazed at that. How she could trust him so easily, without him even earning it? She seemed to respect him, too. She never talked back, minded herself, and for the most part, stayed out of his way. He hadn't lost his temper with her again since the beginning. She was, all in all, the perfect roommate.

He shook himself from his thoughts towards her and focused on the documents in front of him. He heard the familiar heavy footsteps moving towards him in the empty makeshift cafeteria. He looked up immediately at his boss, standing up in the process.

Bane waved him to sit down again and took a seat across the table from him, the two sitting in silence for a moment, the bond they shared clear as day.

"How are things coming along, brother?" Bane asked, his metallic voice ringing through the room.

"Just fine, everything is looking how we expected it to look."

"And your lovely companion, how is that going?" Bane asked, the smirk he wore evident by the crinkling of his eyes. "I notice her alone much of the time, has she not taken a liking to you?"

"We don't interact much," he replied in all honesty.

"Interesting," Bane drawled. "It would seem that your close quarters should have escalated the interactions, but quite the opposite has happened. Do you find her unappealing? Does she resent being here under your protection?"

Barsad thought back to the first encounter with Bane after he had brought Ellie down into the compound. Bane had expressed barely concealed shock at the action, but had allowed it to happen without questioning, which surprised Barsad.

"She is tolerable. And she seems to embrace being here, much more than I thought she would." That was the truth. Barsad had thought she would show at least a little resistance at his abduction of her, but she had accepted it without hesitation. Maybe she did it out of fear, maybe she knew, like he did, that it was the only way she would survive unharmed, and her instincts to live kicked in. She was far too trusting and vulnerable to succeed at living in Gotham at its current deteriorating state.

"Mmm." Bane was pondering something, but Barsad couldn't tell what exactly. Then without another word, he stood up and walked out of the room.

Barsad, finally finished with the documents, stood up and walked back to the room.

* * *

Ellie let the warm water soak into her skin, the heat of it scorching her skin in a pleasurable way. She reflected back on the past three weeks. It was tough for her in the beginning. She had to adjust to a completely new habitat, had to accept her circumstances. She never hesitated to accept Barsad's protection because she was terrified of living in Gotham now. She liked it down here, where she felt safe, oddly enough. He had, in fact, kidnapped her. But she didn't harbor ill feelings towards him. Quite the contrary. She had to fight her affection towards him daily. He was emotionless, and she had gathered quite quickly that he was not interested in her. At night when he came to bed with her, she would have to move to the other side of the bed, as far away as she could get from him, just to restrain herself. It was so foreign to her to want someone in that way, that badly. But she suppressed it, not wanting to cross any boundaries and risk her protection.

She had quickly gotten the hang of things, not desiring at all to be cooped up like a captive in the room they shared. She walked around frequently, a guard present by her side constantly. And she was thankful for that because some of the stares she got made her think these men hadn't seen a woman in years. She shuddered at the thought of what they could or would do to her if she was unprotected. She worked out every day, out of boredom, and the rest of the time, she would just sit and stare at the wall in the room. There was no form of entertainment for her, not even books. She missed reading. She could escape in the plot lines to a different world.

She turned the shower off and dried herself off, wrapping the towel around her. _Stupid girl_, she cursed at herself. She had forgotten to bring in the bathroom a change of clothes. She didn't like feeling exposed in the room, on the chance he would walk in.

She opened the door an inch and peeked out. She sighed in frustration. There he was, sitting on the side of the bed, looking expectantly at the bathroom door. Their eyes caught each other, and she felt the heat of a blush on her cheeks, thankful she had surveyed the room instead of just barging out in nothing but a towel.

"Do you mind turning around? I forgot my clothes," she said, embarrassment clearly in her voice.

Barsad's eyebrow rose, a smirk on his face. "And if I don't?" he asked playfully. He noticed her light blush get darker, a small smile flitting across her face.

"Please?" she asked, more quietly.

"As you wish," he replied, although he felt disappointment flutter in his body. He would have enjoyed very much to see her in that tiny towel with her long wet hair. He wouldn't have been able to control himself, though. He stood up and sat in the chair, his back facing her and the closet.

He heard the door open more, heard her squeak and rush to get clothes before running back into the bathroom with the quiet shutting of the door. He smiled at her antics. _So innocent_, he thought.

Ellie changed quickly into her tight black leggings and oversized sweater, threw her hair up in a messy bun on top of her head, and exited the bathroom. She looked at his back, remembering his earlier playful jab towards her. It had made her feel warm in certain places, and she was certain that it meant he was in a good mood today. She felt like he was in a good enough mood that he might even entertain a request from her. Hell, she had to try, she thought, determined.

"Barsad?" she breathed out.

He stood up and turned around to look at her at hearing his name. He had to admit that he loved the way she said his name. It was always soft, breathy, low. He wanted her to scream his name, too.

The change of the look in his eyes from questioning to a darker gaze made her squirm. She felt herself grow warmer in her lower stomach and in her center. He noticed her squirm and it made him move just a little closer to her, only increasing her lust. _Control yourself_, she whispered in her mind. He moved closer until he was inches from her, the closeness taking over her senses, forgetting what she had planned to ask him.

He saw her pupils dilate more and more the closer he got to her, and it only excited him more. Being so close to her, smelling how delicious she was, it was making the hold on his control shaky. He wanted to throw her on the bed and take her. He was pleasantly surprised at her reaction to his closeness. He wasn't stupid, he KNEW she enjoyed it.

The smirk appeared on his face again making Ellie ache inside. She resisted the urge to reach out and touch him.

"What is it?" he asked seductively, taking the initiative, and reaching out to tuck a damp piece of her hair behind her ear. Her eyes closed at the contact, and his pulse increased at the response.

She took a shaky breath in. "I was wondering if you could bring me some books to read. I get a little bored sometimes. I understand if you can't, but I thought I would just ask anyways," her low voice sounding like smooth velvet to him.

How could he deny her anything when she asked him so sweetly, he thought. "I'll see what I can do," his voice moving deep down inside her. _God damn this man_, she mentally cursed. Why did he have this affect on her, she screamed as she squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them to look at his face.

His features had darkened considerably, his eyes almost black to her. It made her insides twist in a way that made her absolutely wet for him. He had touched her, which surprised her. Maybe she could reciprocate. Her self-control won, though, and she kept her hands firmly at her side, the pleasure she felt making her body stiffen.

He noticed that his closeness was beginning to make her look uncomfortable, so he back away from her slowly. He stood still for a moment and his eyes bore into her golden ones, his stare full of an intensity that he couldn't hide at that moment. He saw her shiver slightly. He forced control over his body, suddenly angry, the emotion flashing across his face before he turned around abruptly and left the room.

Ellie breathed deeply once he was gone, confusion riddling her mind.

* * *

She felt the bed give way as he settled in for the night. She had fought all day with what she should do about their earlier encounter, if anything. She still hadn't come to a conclusion. She couldn't exactly talk to him about it, as he appeared a few times during the day and completely ignored her. She heard his breathing even out and knew he was asleep. As quietly as she could, she turned her body around and pretended to sleep. Occasionally, she would peek at him, admiring his body. He slept on his back, and only that way. His shirtless body was pure heaven to look at. Before she could stop herself, restrain herself, she had inched her body closer to his and placed her fingertips on his chest, slowly tracing over it. She reveled in the way his skin felt. His body was hard, pure muscle, but his skin held a certain softness to it. She was mesmorized.

Suddenly, his hand shot up and grabbed hers, holding it in place. She snapped her eyes up and looked directly into his questioning eyes.

"I'm..I'm so sorry," she stammered.

He remained silent, continuing to stare at her, holding her hand on his chest, his whole body stilled. Then, he lunged at her, and she shrieked in terror at the suddenness of his movement until his lips hit hers with force and intensity, his hands tangling in her hair, all over her body. She moaned into his mouth, and it seemed to fuel him further. He pulled himself up and over her, shoving her legs apart and ripping her panties down and off her before grinding hard against her, eliciting a sharp moan from her. His eyes glinted and pushed against her again, letting her feel all his pent up lust and desire. Her eyes rolled back, pleasure consuming her. It was all happening so fast, such a complete reversal of how they had been cohabitating, that it overwhelmed her completely.

His mouth moved to her neck, biting her roughly, and she bucked up against him, a feral sound coming out of him.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice sounding strangled by his lust. She was panting from all the sensations. He grabbed her roughly behind her neck and forced her to look directly at him. "What do you want? Say it," he growled at her.

"You, I want you," she could barely get the words out. He pushed against her roughly to her response, her eyes closing immediately, biting her bottom lip. He wasted no time. He moved his hand to her center and felt her wetness, growling at the knowledge that she wanted him that badly. He couldn't afford foreplay, he needed her immediately. He had held back for too long.

He quickly undid his pants and pulled himself out. _No time_, he thought, as he centered himself at her entrance, hearing her panting pick up in pace, feeling her squirm against him, trying to push herself onto him. His mind shut down as his control snapped, and he thrust into her hard, eliciting a cry of pleasure from her mouth.

He stilled himself and basked in how good she felt. Warm, wet, tight around him. He felt her shaking in anticipation. _Oh sweet one_, he thought, _I can't deny you anything_. He hungrily attacked her lips, his tongue pushing into her mouth as he started to pump into her at a steady pace, pushing as deep into her as he could each time. Her hands frantically clawed at his back, helping to push him further and further into her, meeting his thrusts with a need she had suppressed for too long. He couldn't keep his mouth off of her, she tasted so sweet. He felt her periodically tighten even more around him, telling him that what he was doing was exactly what she wanted.

He pressed his forehead against hers, one of his hands tangled in her hair holding her head to his, and the other moving to her waist in an almost painful grip. He began moving faster into her, the force of his motions making the bed move in unison. The entire time, she would moan and the sound made him delirious, wanting more. He felt her tighten and not let up, the sensation bringing him to the brink and he tightened pleasurably in response. He pushed into her harder, the action almost violent, and she cried out his name, sending him over the edge as he gripped her waist even harder, pumping into her as deep and fast as he could. She saw stars as she came, gripping him so tight that he immediately spilled everything deep deep inside her, so much that she felt the warmth and spurts of him, prolonging her release.

He couldn't describe how he felt at that moment. His mind was completely blank. Unconsciously, he moved his mouth over hers and kissed her deeply and slowly, her responding in turn with the movement of his tongue. He ended the kiss and placed another on her forehead before gently pulling out of her and falling onto the bed next to her.

He breathed deeply, satisfaction setting into every inch of his body and mind. He reached over and grabbed her, pulling her to him, and she settled on the side of his body, her arm draped over his chest, snuggling into his neck.

And that was how they slept that night, for the first time ever. Barsad's last conscious thought was of how he didn't know when exactly he had started to care for her like this.


	7. Chapter 7

By the time Ellie woke up, it was almost noon. She stretched leisurely in the empty bed, arms above her head, feeling the slight soreness that she welcomed because she felt it was a reminder that what had happened had not, in fact, been a dream. She reflected to early in the morning, when he woke her up by lightly kissing her neck and holding her. He had been so gentle in how he took her for the second time that morning, both surprising her and increasing her responses to him even more so than the night before. He had worn his trademark smirk afterwards, telling her to go back to sleep before he dressed and left the room. And she did indeed drift back into blissful sleep.

She jumped out of bed, in the best mood she had been in since she had arrived. She felt light and giddy. _Don't think too much into it_, a voice whispered in her head, _protect yourself_. She felt just a little heavier at those words, knowing them to be true, but still couldn't shake her giddiness.

She went through her normal routine of a shower and getting ready, and walked out of the room to be greeted by the guard, Nathan, who watched over her whenever Barsad wasn't around. She smiled warmly at him, which Nathan responded to with a "good morning, ma'am."

"I think I'm going to get something to eat," she said. He nodded in response, and the two walked in unison to the desolate cafeteria. She went up to the serving table and grabbed some fruit and toast. She choose a table in the middle of the room, and Nathan sat down across from her. He rarely spoke to him, but she still enjoyed his silent company. Periodically, she would look up at him and smile in gratitude at his presence, knowing it meant her safety.

The door suddenly banged open, making the two jump in surprise. Bane strode over to the pair, amusement clearly expressed in his eyes at their reactions to his presence.

"Go," he commanded, and Nathan immediately got up and left the room. Bane took a seat in his place and stared at the girl, analyzing her. She maintained his gaze as long as she could before she starting shaking slightly. Bane had done nothing to her, but she knew what he was doing to the city, had seen him kill men with the flick of his wrist. He had helped her at one point, but she couldn't suppress her fear of him, no matter how hard she tried to reassure herself that he wouldn't hurt her. She simply didn't know if that was true or not.

Once she felt herself start to shake, she dropped her gaze, breathing in quietly to calm herself. His silence and unwavering stare unnerved her, and with Nathan gone, her security blanket for lack of a better term, she felt vulnerable and alone. And those were the last things she wanted to feel in Bane's presence.

"You're afraid of me," his voice rang out, the mechanical hissing of his mask making her shudder. "I can assure you, little one, you have no need to fear me. For many reasons." He noticed that she nodded her head in response, keeping her eyes on the table, not meeting his.

He took her in. Her light brown hair, a small splay of freckles, her golden eyes when she had held his stare for mere seconds. Her frame was light, but clearly, she was attractive. _Barsad had done well_, he mused. Yes, the girl was stunning. He had allowed Barsad to take one of his men to be her constant guard because he had experience with this sort of thing. He knew beauty and light could and almost always was stomped out in the dark. And that's where they were, in the dark. His men were loyal to him, but they were still men. Men who hadn't been near a woman in months, or felt one. She simply wasn't safe to walk around on her own, or to be unguarded in the room without Barsad around.

He continued to stare at her, the minutes passing. _Barsad has wonderful taste_, he thought again. He continued to admire her for another minute before he spoke again.

"How are you liking your surroundings?" he asked her, as if they had multiple conversations in the past, and this was completely normal.

His raspy voice breaking the silence made her jump in her chair, her eyes meeting his again in confusion.

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She tried again. "Everything is wonderful, thank you for allowing me to stay," she stated quietly.

_She even has a beautiful voice_. He understood now why Barsad was simply infatuated by her. Bane would go so far as to deem her a siren of sorts. He fully understood why Barsad had brought her down here. Not only did he feel for her, but this girl.. no woman.. would have been a magnet to the scum now running the streets. She would have been raped and killed in no time. Or brought before the people's court because she simply exuded elegance.

"Please, continue eating." She nodded again and gingerly picked at her food with her fork.

_And she is obedient_, Bane nodded approvingly.

"Do you require anything?" he asked her, a little surprised that he even seemed to care about her needs or wants.

"Thank you for asking," she responded sweetly, taken back by his sincere question. She looked at him inquisitively. "I asked Barsad for some books yesterday to occupy some time."

Bane nodded, slightly disappointed that he could not offer her anything. He was drawn to her; she is a siren. He felt a small desire waking up inside him to help her, and was less than pleased that all her needs and wants were currently being met by another. By his most loyal comrade.

Bane hated to feel confused, and therefore, hated remaining next to her. He stood up abruptly, and Ellie gasped again at the suddenness of his movements. He bid her goodbye and abruptly turned around and left.

Before the door could even bang shut, Nathan strolled back in and replaced Bane in the seat, his face looking slightly pensive, but he gave her a small smile anyway, realizing she looked quite shaken up at the encounter with Bane. She was grateful for that, and resumed eating.

* * *

Barsad knocked on Bane's door to give him the report of the day. He had walked all over Gotham, arresting the rich and controlling the released prisoners from destroying everything. That was the bomb's job.

"Come," he heard through the door. He entered the small room that was minimally decorated. Just how Bane had wanted it. He wasn't a materialistic man. Bane's back was towards him, kneeling near an open chest. He shut the chest loudly and made a noise as he rose and turned to face Barsad. Barsad quickly gave him the report, and was about to leave when Bane's voice stopped him.

"I spoke with your.. roommate.. today," he said with amusement in his voice. "I find myself wondering if she would be of any use in the league. She doesn't appear too frail, and with training, she would be quite lethal, I imagine," as he reflecting on how she seemed to pull those around her into her. She seemed like she could command attention and she walked around with an air of authority despite the fact that she currently had none.

"I don't believe she would succeed in any part of the league," Barsad replied as quickly as he could. If he could, he would never let her have any part of that. The thought of changing her into a mercenary made him sick. The thought of putting her in harm's way, that fact that even training would require breaking her, he just couldn't allow it. He had to convince Bane that she was essentially useless.

"She is weak, I don't think any amount of training would change that. All it would accomplish is breaking her. She could never be rebuilt, she doesn't possess that strength," he continued, aware all of what he said was a lie. Of course Bane was right. She would be an excellent fit for the league, but Barsad thought she deserved better. He didn't want her to die that way, as everyone in the league would most assuredly die in their duties.

Bane just stared at him, digesting his answers. He saw right through the excuses, but he wouldn't let Barsad know that. He didn't need Barsad's approval if he wanted Ellie to join. He would simply give her the choice, or turn her away into Gotham. Barsad would not be able to effect that. So, Bane simply nodded at him and turned away, formulating his plan in his head.

Barsad took that as his time to leave and quickly exited the room, panic beginning to rise in his body.

* * *

She squealed in delight when Barsad walked through the door of their bedroom, lugging a large bag, and she jumped off the couch excitedly, running up to him.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked, excitement evident in every word. He couldn't help but smile at her as he continued over to the desk and set the bag down on it, stepping away to allow her to examine the contents.

She began pulling book after book out of the bag, squeaks of happiness coming from her each time, looking at the titles in unabashed glee. She stopped half way through and grabbed him, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you so much!" she practically shouted. "You did too much, you shouldn't have, a few would have been just as good."

His smile remained. _She's appreciative_, he noted, adding it to his mental list of qualities he liked about her. He reveled in the feel of her body against his, pushing his hand in her hair and playing with the strands. He remained silent as she broke the contact and returned to browsing the books, finally choosing one and jumping back on the couch, pulling a throw up her legs and settling in.

He looked on approvingly, filled with something he had recognized the night before. He did, in fact, care about her. More than he probably should, but he had already crossed that line, and there was no going back now, even if he tried.

He reflected on the conversation he just had with Bane, and a feeling of extreme protectiveness engulfed him. No one would ever lay a hand on her, save for him. He couldn't stomach her being hit, being hard, being a killer. He would never allow it to happen. He would lie through his teeth, stop it at all costs. And he wouldn't let her die in Gotham. Somehow, he would get her out before the bomb blew. He was shocked at his thoughts, but knew them all to be true. And he recognized how dangerous those thoughts were, how it would almost certainly result in his death by Bane's own hand. He didn't care, he would do something selfless in his life for her.

He stalked over towards her, kneeling down near her face. She turned her head to look up at him, their eyes locking. Ice blue on gold. She realized that he seemed to struggle to find his words. She was surprised when his hand came up and cupped the side of her head, stroking her hair, and leaning his forehead on hers. She closed her eyes at the contact, enjoying the closeness, her earlier thoughts of protecting her heart flying out the imaginary window. She couldn't close her heart from him, she was a goner.

"I promise you this. I will never let harm come to you," he said with a finality that she heard in his words, his voice sounding slightly strained.

"I believe you," she whispered.


	8. Author's Notes

**I'm a person of few words, except for my writing. This makes me generally not respond directly to reviews, but just take what you all ask and try to incorporate it as best I can in the plot I imagined.**

**That being said, I'm honestly surprised at the reception this story is getting, and I want to thank all of the people who have taken the extra time to post a review on it. I didn't anticipate it, I just wanted to write something and add, rather than just read and hope another story would turn out the way I wanted it to.**

**I think that's why I will try my best to take your comments and give you what you want, but when I don't, it's only because I feel too strongly about the plot, and not because your idea wasn't good.**

**So all in all, thanks for the reviews. They encourage me to update more frequently and often give me better ideas of where to take this story. I hope you all continue to read it and enjoy it.**


	9. Chapter 9

He needed to test her, Bane thought as he cracked his neck and stretched out his back. He looked around his meager room, consumed by that thought. Somehow, he knew Barsad wasn't being honest with him in his assessment of the young woman. Sure, she was soft and pliable now, but Bane sensed her strength and control. He also sensed Barsad's fierce protection of her. It was painfully obvious, and a weakness in Bane's eyes. He threw on his black shirt and vest, rolled up his sleeves and set out to find her.

* * *

Ellie was laying on the couch on her stomach, occasionally peeking up through her eyelashes at Barsad, who was working on some mysterious papers. She saw his face scrunch up and furious scribbling. A knock sounded at the door, and Barsad barked out to come in. Nathan opened the door, but didn't move into the room beyond its threshold.

"Sir, do you need my services for the rest of the day?"

Barsad turned around in his seat quickly, "yes, i need you here at 2:30. I will need to take care of some business in the city." Nathan nodded and pulled the door closed. Ellie watched the exchange and suddenly became extremely interested and curious.

"Barsad," she called out in a low voice, catching his attention immediately as he crooked his head in her direction, raising an eyebrow, indicating for her to continue.

"What would happen if anyone tried to hurt me down here?"

Barsad remained silent, staring at her delicate form, his face beginning to harden at that thought.

"If anyone would dare try to harm you ANYWHERE, or touch you, or speak to you inappropriately, myself or Nathan would kill them instantly."

Ellie's blood chill, realizing he was serious. That she was talking to a true mercenary right now.

"Why would you order such a final thing as death, why not just hurt them back?" she pushed on.

"First, nothing you say will change that rule. It's not up for discussion. Second, Bane ordered it from the moment I brought you down here, and I agreed completely."

"Bane? Why?" she was truly confused. She didn't understand at all why Bane had ordered that, nor why he even cared enough to think of her at all.

Barsad shifted in his seat to face her. "Bane has seen many things, things no one should see. One of which is unspeakable violence towards women. It's one of the few thing he abhors, and he will not tolerate it."

Ellie digested the information. Bane was complex, she mused. And obviously he had a heart underneath all that muscle. Barsad saw her perplexed look and stood up, waking to her, and crouched down, his face level with hers. Ellie's eyes admired his face. His hair was growing out of its shorter style, his eyes piercing blue, his stubble casting a shadow on his face. He reached up and twirled a piece of her loose hair between his fingers, enjoying the softness of it. He immensely liked how soft she was, body and soul. He would die to keep her that way, so innocent and gentle.

"You, my dear, do not need to think so hard about this," tugging gently on her hair, causing her to blush and slightly smile. "The men here know this rule, know the consequence, and I would be surprised if anyone tried to break it," he said, knowing his words soothed her as her expression softened more.

He kissed her forehead, lingering there, as Ellie's hand reached up to caress his face.

"I have to go now, Nathan will be here, but just..be safe," he murmured against her forehead, feeling her nod beneath him. He kissed her one last time and stood up, her hand falling from his face.

She watched him pack his things and sling his rifle over his shoulder before heading to the door and opening it. He was greeted immediately by Nathan's presence, already standing guard, and he turned to give her one last look before he closed the door, an unreadable emotion splayed across his face.

* * *

Bane walked calmly down the hallway to the room which he knew held Ellie, alone. He knew Barsad had left at his own command, and knew this was the perfect opportunity to test the young woman that Barsad so fiercely protected. He strolled up and waved Nathan away, who quickly moved out of Bane's way, but not an inch further. Bane stopped immediately, turned his body to face the boy, and stared him down, a dangerous glint in his eyes. His hands twitched at the boy's disobedience. Nathan gulped and quickly walked away down the hall, disappearing from sight.

Bane let himself in the room, slamming the door shut in the process, causing Ellie to jump up and squeak in panic. She struggled to get up as fast as she could, knowing immediately without looking that the intruder was not Nathan or Barsad. She screamed internally when she turned and saw Bane standing there, his hands casually gripping the top of his vest, looking at her curiously. She gulped deeply, confusion and then fear crossing her face, suddenly realizing that Bane was actually in her bedroom, that they were in there alone, and that Nathan was most likely gone.

He began to walk slowly towards her now shaking form. Her mind kept screaming at her body to get away from him and fast, but she used the last bit of restraint she had and forced her body to hold its ground. I can't let him see fear, she thought, musing over how this situation was almost identical to a shark smelling blood in the water.

He got within inches of her, towering above her, looking down at her. She stared at his chest, eye level with her face, and shivered in fear at the sheer size of him, every last inch of his body, she was positive, was muscle and violence. She nervously gulped again, steeled her nerves, and looked up at him, locking her eyes on his. Amusement filled his eyes at her antics, and she was a little thankful for that. It could have been much worse. His eyes briefly flicked over to the book she had been reading on the couch, then back down to her.

"I think it is time you got out and enjoy Gotham in all its splendor, " his voice boomed in the room, making Ellie flinch.

She couldn't hold his stare anymore and quickly looked down. "Barsad doesn't-"

"It's not Barsad's decision to make. I am his superior and the leader here. Now, get dressed. We have much to catch you up on," he lowly growled at her.

Her mind roared at her to obey Barsad, but out of fear, as she had noticed the darkening of his tone, made her move to the closet to pick out clothes. She quickly moved to the bathroom and locked the door, knowing how foolish that was. If he wanted, Bane could break the door down in two seconds.

She moved quickly, pulling on her skinny jeans, sweater, and boots. As she exited the bathroom, she noticed Bane had not moved and was looking at her almost with approval.

He began to move towards the door, and Ellie followed behind him obediently, desperate and afraid. She glanced back once before she closed the door to the couch she had felt safe and secure on not five minutes prior, her mind screaming as loud as it could for Barsad.


	10. Chapter 10

They walked along the sidewalk, Ellie taking in the altered state of Gotham. It was overrun with looters, murderers, criminals. People were screaming, chaos surrounded them. She unconsciously stuck a little closer than she normally would to Bane, a fact that had not escaped his attention. He enjoyed her closer presence. _She has survival instinct_, he noted.

Ellie's attention was pulled over to what used to be BlackGate Prison, a giant hole where something had obviously been blown up to free the prisoners, and she shuddered in fear knowing those criminals walked the streets now, free to do as they will. She followed Bane has he walked up the steps to City Hall, running up them to keep up with him. She began to hear the chatting of people, the slamming of something. He pushed the door open, and she was surrounded by barely controlled pandemonium. As they walked deeper, she stepped closer to Bane, occasionally brushing against his shoulder, Ellie not even realizing the contact had happened, so consumed with what she saw. People were surrounding the center of a room in a circle, chatting 'death'. She looked up towards the front of the room and saw a scruffy man high above the ground, banging a gavel and screaming 'exile'. In the middle of the room was a single chair where a rich, but obviously worn down man sat. He was quickly grabbed by two men and dragged out of the room through the back entrance.

Bane watched her as she took all this in. He took stock of her stoic, emotionless face, only a glimmer of confusion and curiosity flitting across it. But no fear yet. Then, he heard her gasp quietly. A young girl, possibly no more than 16, was pulled into the chair by one of Bane's men she vaguely recognized. The girl was shaking so hard that it was visible to Ellie even from the distance that Bane kept her from the crowd. She assumed he was the judge, the scruffy man, as he explained this was a sentencing hearing, calling out her 'crimes' of being wealthy and not sharing it. _She's a child_, _how could she control that_, her mind screamed inside her. He gave her a choice, death or exile. She was frozen, and the 'judge' determined for her; exile.

Ellie's face was consumed with disgust. Bane nodded in approvingly, mistaking the underlying reason for her disgust. She wasn't disgusted by her wealth or lack of effort to share it. She was disgusted at this spectacle, at the whole thing. _She was too young_, she thought miserably. She was innocent, incapable of committing what Ellie deemed wasn't even a crime, although she could recognize that it wasn't exactly kind to withhold great amounts of money and not give to the needy sometimes.

The disgusting spectacle continued. Bane made her watch it all, growling at her when she turned her head away. She slowly learned to maintain a blank stare at all of it, shutting her mind down. She barely felt the burning feeling on the side of her face, indicating someone was staring at her. She briefly turned her head to the right and caught eyes filled with fury, staring dead at her. _Basard_. Bane growled at her, and she snapped her head back, still feeling his eyes on her, terror beginning to build in her body and mind.

Basard was livid when he spotted her across the room standing next to Bane. He fought against every cell in his body to march over there, grab her from him, and pull her back into the sewers where she was safe. She was exposed here, as he watched a dirty man push into her, making her push into Bane more. He watched as Bane looked down at her and then at the man making his way into the crowd. But Ellie looked like she barely felt it, her face completely emotionless as she stared the events unfolding before her eyes. He hadn't wanted this for her, for her to see this. And he saw Bane occasionally glance down at her, approval evident in his eyes as he saw her expressionless face and stoic stance. His mind screamed to her to show weakness. _Cry, Ellie_. _Shake, try to run_, he yelled at her, knowing Bane was examining her to see if she possessed strength. And she did, she was showing it to him right now. He obviously liked what he saw. This was him testing her to see if she had a place in the League.

He watched Bane staring straight ahead, but Ellie turning her head to listen to him. _What was he saying to her?_ Bane began to move away from their spot at the corner of the room and towards the staircase, passing Basard on the way, Ellie's eyes flicking to him for a second. And in that second, he saw her fear. He began to see red, felt his body move in the smallest steps closer to her, his protective instinct kicking in and suspending his logical, rational mind. Bane then turned to look at him, and he stopped immediately. But Basard refused to let go of Bane's eyes. Bane's eyebrow raised in, continuing to lead her up the stairs and away from him. And towards her.

* * *

Ellie stood in a large room in City Hall beside Bane, waiting for something. She heard a door open and close behind her, light footsteps approaching the pair. Ellie turned her head briefly, before snapping it to stare forward again. _Miranda Tate_. But somehow, she looked different to her from when Ms. Tate was at Wayne Enterprises.

She walked past them and stood in front of Bane, her hand outstretched, touching his mask gently, a soft look in her eyes. They hardened as they turned on Ellie, she walking towards the young woman and standing in front of her.

"So this is her," Miranda's accented voice rang out. "She is quite beautiful," a look of recognition gracing her face. "Do you know who I am, young one?"

Ellie swallowed deeply, "Miranda Tate."

"Tahlia," she spoke gently to Ellie, causing a look of confusion to spread over her face, breaking her emotionless mask, her mind furiously trying to process what was going on, but lacking enough information to come to any conclusion. So she remained quiet, only nodding in response.

"And you are the one Barsad took from the City to protect. How interesting." Tahlia turned and walked forward a few steps before turning around to stare at her again, analyzing her. Ellie was the picture of a perfect frame, standing at about 5'6, she thought, her hair a golden brown, her eyes mesmorizing, and her fingers twitching slightly in nervousness. Tahlia smiled at that.

"You live down in the sewers," Ellie nodded. Tahlia had been updated by Bane about wanting her to possibly join the League, about Barsad's vehement refusal to let her do it. Bane had brought Ellie to Tahlia for an assessment and for help in the matter. With such limited time left, none could be wasted.

"Can you fight, can you protect yourself?"

"I try."

Tahlia nodded. Ellie, unaware of the two's shared bond, inched closer to Bane, believing Tahlia to be a bigger threat to her than the masked man. _She wants to survive so badly_, she mused. She could see why Bane wanted her. With no women in the League, sometimes it was difficult to accomplish more refined goals, such as obtaining money, creating decoys. She wouldn't have to be trained much, only enough to protect herself until someone else could step in. Tahlia found herself enjoying the idea of teaching this petite young woman. She, interestingly enough, felt drawn to her. She recognized her innocence, her trusting ways. She determined that was what Bane was drawn to in her, a similarity between the young woman and Tahlia. She felt honored. It made her decide to help Bane, to return the gesture. Tahlia nodded her head lightly at Bane, who nodded appreciatively in response.

He turned on his heels, Ellie turning with him to leave the room, before she turned around briefly. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Tahlia."

Her kindness shocked Tahlia, who quickly wiped the emotion from her face, nodding in return before turning her back on the retreating pair.

* * *

She stood in the room, pacing anxiously, waiting for his return. She did this for hours, puzzling over the day's happenings. She couldn't understand Bane's motives, not at all, no matter how hard she tried. And she had no idea what had transpired with Miranda… no Tahlia. She seemed to speak to Bane with complete silence. She pondered what had been decided, or talked about. Bane hadn't spoken to her the entire way back to the sewer, nor when he found Nathan in front of her bedroom door, nor when he opened it and ushered her gently in and left. Not even a good bye. He almost seemed pensive.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the slamming of the door. She looked up immediately and locked her gaze on Barsad's, obviously still filled with absolute fury and anger. All directed at her. He stood still, frozen for a moment, assessing her, his mind whirling with emotion and not logic. He began steadily walking towards her, closing the distance between them quickly despite her efforts to back up and away from him, scurrying backwards to escape him and that look in his eyes. The back of her knees hit the bed, and she bounced up, pushing herself backwards on her hands. Barsad reached her in this moment.

He growled loudly, grabbing her ankles and yanking her towards him, her back hitting the bed with force as she was dragged against her will towards the terrifying man. And that's what she was, terrified. Tears had started flowing down her face, her constant sobs echoing in the room. His hands moved up to her thighs, gripping them with violence and yanked her further off the bed, until he could reach her throat with his hand, grab it, and push her down into the mattress. Her hands shot up to grip his, her eyes pleading and watery, her face messy now with the tears she continued to cry, her sobbing cut off by the force of his hand on her throat.

He watched her struggle against his uncontrolled rage. _Stop_, his mind quietly told him. _She's not to blame.__No one can defy Bane_. His grip began to loosen as his vision cleared, and he saw her tears. He heard her sob, the sound hurting his heart, and he ripped his hand away from her and backed up several steps, his hands gripping his hair in frustration. He watched her curl into a ball and continue to cry and sob in fear.

He gritted his teeth and pulled at his hair, feeling the powerful negative emotions leave him, until all that was left was remorse and intense guilt. He had promised her that no harm would come to her, and he had almost just choked her to death for something she had no control over. She was just an easier target to take his rage out on, the only target.

His face held his newfound emotions, softening his mind and body, as he approached her shaking form in the middle of the bed. He turned and sat down on the bed, a sob escaping her mouth at feeling the bed shift under his weight. He put his head in his hands at the sound. _She was terrified of him_. He had never wanted that, but couldn't control himself in his fury.

He turned towards her form, her back towards, him and gently placed his hand on her back. She shook violently at the contact. He didn't remove his hand. He pulled himself on the bed, closer to her, and put his other hand on her back, gently rubbing patterns on her. Her sobs began to decrease, her breath starting to even out, but she remained curled in a ball, facing away from him. He moved closer, until he could lean down and whisper in her ear.

"I'm sorry," he simply said. "You didn't deserve that." And he gently kissed her ear, moving back from her, his hand moving towards her hair and brushing it back from the side of her face. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her chest moving up and down evenly. Without thought, he wrapped his arms around her center and lifted her into his chest, cradling her. Her hands gripped his shirt tightly, pushing her face into his chest. His hands were caressing her hair and legs, as he moved his chin to sit lightly atop her head.

"He made me," she whispered into his chest.

"I know," he said gently.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's ok, little one, it's ok. I know you didn't have a choice. But when I saw you mixed in with all of those people, I thought about how I found you that day."

She nodded her head lightly, looking up at him finally. Barsad's eyes darkened until they almost looked black when he saw the handprints bruising beginning to form on her neck. He was disgusted with himself, hated himself in that moment. "I will never forgive myself for this," he said softly, lightly tracing her neck. She remained still and looked down, cuddling herself into the man who had almost choked her to death. She still felt safe around him, could still forgive him. She knew why he had acted like that, that's what she had prepared herself for. And she knew he was out of control, she knew how sorry he was about it.

* * *

He waited until she was sound asleep to get out and find Bane. He walked out, gently closing the door. Nathan stood there, having been summoned by Barsad earlier. They nodded at eachother, and Barsad began walking until he stood in front of Bane's room. He knocked on the door, heard a grunt, and walked in.

Bane's back was to him, but he knew it was Barsad. He just wondered what he had to say. He stood up and faced the silent man, who wore no expression.

"Did she pass?" he asked the masked man, surprising him with the question. Bane had expected veiled fury at his playtime with his comrade's toy.

"Yes, brother, with flying colors. She will make an excellent addition to the League. Even Tahlia was impressed. She agreed to train her," Bane revealed more than he thought, but he wanted to see Barsad's reaction.

He stiffened slightly, but let no emotion pass over his face. "Why go through the trouble when she will only perish in a month?" This was what he really wanted. To begin his plan of getting her out. To either plant the seed in Bane's mind, or simply disobey him the day the city blew, before they both died.

Bane remained silent, staring at him. Barsad took it as his small opportunity to pose the solution to him.

"She would be an asset to the League," Barsad continued, hating the words of truth as they left his mouth, sour and vile. "But there is no point in investing time in her, unless you plan to allow her to live beyond us. To take her away from her and send her to the compound, let her actually serve the League in the future when it will need her the most."

Bane seemed to ponder this, but he already knew the answer. From the moment he sat in the cafeteria with the young woman, he knew she would not be allowed to remain in Gotham for its destruction. She was simply too valuable, too innocent, held too many undiscovered assets that would greatly benefit their future causes. Barsad had chosen the perfect woman when he brought her down here.

"I agree, brother. We will secure transport for her the day week before. That way we can monitor her safety there."

Bane saw a flicker of relief cross Barsad's face, and he smiled lightly at the reaction. He was happy that Barsad had accepted his decision to bring her into the League, and he would reward that change of heart with the woman's safety, that was never actually an issue. He briefly contemplated sending Barsad with her. Another thought to ponder.

With that, Barsad nodded, turned and left. Once the door was closed, and he had returned to their room, he sighed in relief, letting it overtake his body completely.


End file.
